THAILAND UPDATE
Click here for the journal from Thailand
We started the STUFFED PROJECT last week after we became email and phone
acquainted with Tik and Neil Satterwhite. This Phuket couple have been
working tirelessly for the last two months to help rebuild a school program
so that the children in the area can begin to have some normalcy again in
their lives.
To help fund this area and these children we are doing one last push before
I head to Thailand and asking for $5-20+ per stuffed animal or pair of
sandals (we received 60 pairs of sandals from Teva). Your choice. All we ask
is that you sign a tag so that the children know it came from an American
friend.
All of the money raised from this will be kept separate from the overall
donations for the AO NANG BOAT CLUB AND PHI PHI ISLAND FUND and donated to
this program. To read more about it go to www.phuket-guide.com. You can either purchase through Pay Pal or
send me a check or pay me cash when you see me. Thanks for your continued
support.
One of the big things we will be doing is helping rebuild boats. On Koh
Lanta 92 boats were damaged. It's around $460 to rebuild a damaged boat and
up to $2000 to buy a new one. We will be taking pictures of the people we
meet and if you would like to send your donation with a photo of you
(electronically or print of you) I will show the people we are
giving money to who you all are. ALSO, I will be taking pictures of them and
their community and writing about the people we meet to bring back to you
all so you can have a more personal connection.
These are the websites of people we are helping:
Thank you all again.
NEWS Hello friends and family As you all know by now my Mother, Sister and I returned
safely from Thailand on December 28th after an amazingly up and then
down trip to the Southern Islands. We missed the Tsunami that hit the areas we
visited (Ao Nang/Railay, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi) by less than a day and were
sitting in Bangkok getting a foot massage when the news started pouring in. We
watched in horror for the next day and a half and then returned to the US to
see how far the devastation had traveled.
Click to read E-mail updates from Thailand
Click to donate money via PayPal (click on SEND MONEY and enter my email address: shanti@shantisos.com). If you would like to send a check instead of PAYPAL donation please make out to: Shanti Sosienski--Ao Nang Boat Community, 908 6th St. #5, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Click for Thailand links
Read Paul Smith and other American survivors amazing stories about surviving
the Tsunami: http://www.tsunamireliefla.org/stories.html
You don't need money to help with Tsunami relief. Try knitting! http://www.raincircle.com/scrubbie/ Now that I am one week back from Thailand and I have had a
chance to gather my thoughts I would like to tell you all about the people who
I met while I was there and how I am hoping to help them. Meet Australian Elizabeth and her Thai husband Sun who run a
small longtail boat tour operation out of Ao Nang (www.krabi-island-tours.com). When
I met them on Poda Island December 16 I was very interested in their business
because they are one of the many “small” businesses that manage to compete
against the big tour companies by offering very customized, personalized tours
where you can see pristine beaches that are a step beyond what every other
tourist is seeing. I was hoping to write a story on this lovely couple and so
we swapped email addresses. Then December 26th hit and they lost one
of their boats and their engine. While they think they can repair their boat
they are afraid that boat or not, the tourists are not coming back for this
season and maybe even next. It’s people like Elizabeth and Sun who will
struggle the most in the next year and will not see any of the aid money being
sent over to Thailand because they were fortunate enough to not be injured or
killed. Elizabeth and I have been writing each other for the last
day and here’s something she sent to me today. She is trying to be optimistic
about the situation and knows that plenty of people are much worse off than
her, still it’s hard to not imagine the sadness and concern she is feeling for herself
and everyone around her. I wrote her today to tell her that we just got word
that a wonderful family we stayed with on Phi Phi is alive and we were so
happy. She was helping us look for them through her network of boatmen. She
lives about 30km away from them by boat. I also asked her if there were any
families around her who were desperately in needs and so here is her response. Shanti. I am hoping to send money to her and to another friend of
mine living in Bangkok who is planning on traveling back to Phi Phi in the next
month to take supplies and money to the families who lost so much on that
Island. If you are interested in contributing to helping these families
monetarily I have set up a PAYPAL account and I will personally guarantee that
everything sent to me gets to these people I have told you about. I will
provide updates in the upcoming months about how they are doing as best as I
can as well. If you, like me, have already made your donations to big
organizations, but also want to actually see how your money can directly impact
a few families then this is one way we can do it. I feel that anyone who
receives this good karma money we are sending out will in turn hopefully help
improve their community because they have been lucky. I know this sounds like a
lot of trusting that humans will be good and not greedy, but I feel like in
this case I have a few people picked out here who are genuinely in need and
will take any contributions and multiply the money in many ways. I am looking
at it as an adoption program of sorts. I will post updates every few months
that I get from Elizabeth to let you all know how the money you send is helping
these families. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything more than $1-10. I
am sending this out to over 1,000 people who I know and so I feel that if we
can even get $1 from everyone we know that is $1000 and that can go a long way
for a small group of people who are looking at getting no money in the next
year. If you are wondering why I am putting forth the energy in
doing this it is because I feel I was spared for a reason. For those of you who
know me, you’ll know I am not a religious type or one who believes in higher
powers, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. The reason I
chose Thailand as my vacation spot for a family trip with my Mother and sister
(this was the first trip we had all taken together alone in 10 years!) is
because it’s a safe, beautiful, amazing country. The people are generous, kind,
and work their hardest to make sure you enjoy yourself to the utmost while
there.This trip until the very
end was by far one of the best vacations I have ever been on in my life. I was
impressed with how well Thailand has managed their tourism industry and how
they continue to open us Westerners with open arms in spite of how obnoxious we
can be at times. They don’t laugh at us, they are honest, the people I came
across wanted to make sure that we wanted to come back every year for the rest
of our lives (sure the 22 hour plane ride from LAX sucked, but that isn’t their
fault we are so far away). Anyway, so now that I have met Thailand, I want to
the world to not just see the horror, but to know there is so much beauty there
still. Here are some more pictures of the families and communities
I would like to help get aid to immediately. If you have any questions please
email me and I will answer them as best as I can. Toh Ko Beach Resort lost a number of bungalows and their
restaurant. Fortunately their boat driver wasn’t out at sea when the Tsunami
hit, however, Tongchai Janmanee (the father of the family) was injured while
trying to save his family. He is recovering in a hospital in Krabi right now. Longtail boatmen on the shore of Ao Nang. These men take
farangs (tourists) on tours to the various islands and also run a water taxi
service between this town and RaiLay beach (popular rock climbing spot) and Ton
Sai beach. The boatman who Elizabeth mentions in her email was one of these Ao
Nang locals who ferried people around. This is my mother and sister on Chicken Island just off of
Ao Nang. In the background is Poda Island. Lung (Loong) was our boat driver at Ko Phi Phi who barely
escaped the Tsunami. He ferried us around one afternoon, taking us to Maya Bay
where “The Beach” was filmed and then taking us to some other bays for an
amazing hour of snorkeling. Pi Pon Janmanee (above with my friend Lyndy) and her husband
Tongchai own the Toh Ko “resort” on the east side of Phi Phi. Although they
call it a resort it’s more like a smattering of grass huts on a beach and a
little thatched roof restaurant. Their bungalows are rustic and their beach is
hard to get to, which makes it perfect if you want to get off the beaten path
instead of just talking about doing it. They aren’t in the guide books, which
is amazing considering most of this tiny Island was overrun with fancy hotels
and bungalows. Their place is separated by a small mountain on this roadless
Island and is just around the corner from the tourist saturated beaches, yet
few people ever find this spot because you have to take a boat or hike over a
hill for two hours to get here. While this is great for getting lost, it’s not
going to be so great for the family who runs this little resort of sorts in the
next year as Phi Phi was one of the hardest hit Islands and will take years to
recover. One of the biggest concerns here right now is that so many bodies were
lost that they will be popping up all around the Island and in the water for a
long time.A grim thought, but a
reality. This was Phi Phi bay one week before the Tsunami hit. This was Koh Rok, an Island off of Koh Lanta 3 days before
the Tsunami. The sand was white and as soft as ash. The reefs were absolutely
amazing. One of the concerns right now in Thailand is that all of the debris in
the water and gas from vehicles and boats that spilled will cause long-term
environmental problems in the fragile eco-system underwater. Only time will
tell with this. Shanti and Radha Sosienski enjoying the empty, quiet beach
of Phi Phi. Note the bungalow in the background that is no longer. Every morning I would wake up at sunrise and go for a walk
on the beach. Usually I would find Grandma and baby walking up and down the
beach with smiles on their faces, not a care in the world. It’s hard to imagine
what life is going to be like for so many families like this in Thailand who
are so dependent on tourism. I never knew this woman’s name but her happy smile and her
sweet shy baby caught my attention. She is Muslim like many of the families in
the Southern part of Koh Lanta. Her family owns an elephant trekking operation.
Mot of the women wear head pieces here. Shanti, Radha and Lyndy on December 23. We all look at this
picture and can’t believe how lucky we were to have left when we did. Still
there is a bit of guilt at the fact that we can step on a plane and go back to
our lives after a fabulous 2-week vacation. When you have the freedom and
wealth that we have in the Western world, it’s easy to forget that the rest of
the world isn’t living like us. Sometimes it takes human tragedy to remind us
that we have to remember how lucky we are. If you are interested in donating to any of the families or
communities I have mentioned I have set up a Shanti’s Friends bank account that
is connected to a Pay Pal account. I am still figuring all of this out but
should have it squared away in the next day and will get that information and
posted. Thanks for taking the time to read this and don’t hesitate to email me
with questions. Ko Phi Phi bay one week
before it was flattened by the Tsunami Notes from Thailand
Vacation Hello family and friends, We are writing all to let
you know that we are all home and safe after our two weeks in Thailand. We were
indeed in the area that was hit very hard for most our trip, but left on
December 24 (Mom and Radha) and December 25 (me and my friend Lyndy). Shown
above is the pristine bay of ko Phi Phi (Pee Pee) where we were on December
17-19. Mom stayed at the Pi Pi Princess, which is no longer. We stayed on the
other side of the Island in a place called Koh Tor (Koh To Resort) that is on
the side of the Island facing Koh Lanta. We are unsure as to the fate of the
lovely family we stayed with, but fear they are dead since they had no where to
run to from where they were at. The structures were all grass bungalows on
simple concrete pads fringing the oceanfront and a small private beach. There
were no roads on Pi Pi and no communication beyond cell phone. We are hoping if
we do get contact with the family that we can send help. But stepping back a few
steps because in spite of the sadness at the end, most of the trip was
wonderful....We arrived in Ao Nang, which is near a town called Krabi on December
14th after a 24 hour plane journey. The air was warm, the sky
slightly overcast, the beach very calm and lovely. The first day we met up with
Rene, a friend from the US who was also traveling in Thailand at the time and
knew we were coming. We rented a longtail boat and driver toured around some
the the nearby Islands and Railay beach, the rockclimbing spot. Then we took a
speedboat tour the following day. The islands are very close to the mainland
and there are tons of them. With beautiful light blue water, amazing coral,
white sand beaches as soft as ash and little shells dotting the pristine
shores, there were times when it felt like we were experiencing a dream because
it was so perfect. We were all in awe of it all from the smell of Thai food
cooking in open air kitchens, to the perfect temperature, to the smiley Thais
who were shuttling us around and helping us have such a good time. On our second day in Ao
Nang we went on a speedboat tour with 18 other tourists to Hong Island. Most of
our group was from Hong Kong, but we befriended a German girl named Anja. Also
that day we met Elizabeth and Sun on one of the little remote beaches off of
Hong Island when we had a 30 minute stop. Elizabeth is ASutralian and is
married to a Thai man named Sun. They run a tour operation called Krabi Island
Tours (www.krabi-island-tours.com). We just have received an email from them letting
us know they are ok, but have lost a boat and a motor. They were just heading
out on a boat on to an Island when the Tsunami hit and they ran for higher
ground. They are worried about business of course though now and think their
livelihood is gone for the year. They are also nervous to go back out into the
ocean because of all of the bodies that keep floating up on shore. Grim. On a
lighter note, Elizabeth and Sun do private day tours where they really take you
to places that few others see and avoid the tourist crowds for the most
part....but it's the same price as the big boat trips. We were sorry we hadn't
met her sooner in our trip, but we were off the next day to Ko Phi Phi. Elizabeth and Sun Long tail at Chicken Beach Just off the coast of Ao
Nang on a boat tour to Hong Island. This little beach was a perfect Island with
another little island attached by a sand bar. On December 17th
we headed on a ferry from Ao Nang to Pi Pi. Anja, who we met the previous day
on a boat trip ended up traveling with us for the next week. We told her about
Pi Pi and the rustic bungalows we were headed too to meet my American friend
Lyndy who was living in Bangkok. Once in Pi Pi we set Mom up at the Phi Phi
Princess (which is no longer) while we went around the Island via boat to just
south of Runtee Bay. Ko Phi Phi is a small Island with no roads and is next to Pi
Pi Leh, the backdrop for the famous Leonardo DiCaprio late 90s movie "The
Beach." It's said to be one of the most beautiful islands in the area and even
in Thailand, however, we felt Koh Rok (near Koh Lanta) was even prettier in
some ways. Phi Phi is really crowded with tourists. Probably 7,000 people on
the tiny island and it was busting at the seams this holiday season. The main
area is a packed bungalow filled beach with a few big hotels and the rest
mainly backpacker bungalows. There's a stunning bay that's like a crescent moon
and seems protected from the ocean. It's like a swimming pool and most of the
tourists hang out here. The crowdedness gives it that sort of Waikiki feeling.
Mom's hotel was one of the swankier ones with nice teak bungalows and a
beautiful infinity pool looking out toward the bay. We met up with my childhood
friend Lyndy Worsham in Koh Pi Pi. She's living in Bangkok and speaks Thai and
is learning Burmese. She took Radha, Anja and I on a longtail boat around the
island to a side where there are very few tourists and it's not very built up
yet. There was this lovely Thai family who took care of us for the 3 days we
were there. Sorry to go on again about food but we had some of the best meals
on our entire trip in this rustic, no electricity, way off the beaten path
spot. Now it's so sad to think that Porn (pronounced Pawn) the woman who hosted
us and her family are probably in seriously bad condition if alive at all. This
is so sad as their business just seemed to really be taking off. While we were
there they opened a new bar that was on the hillside (we are hoping high enough
to not have been flattened) and we enjoyed a few drinks and watched as the moon
began to eek it's way toward a full moon on Sunday night, one week before the
devastation. Koh Tor resort on Pi Pi's
far side. This is where we met Paul and Dotty from San Francisco. They left on
December 24 from Koh Lanta to head back home. Chilling in the infinity
pool at Mom's swanky hotel on Pi Pi Koh Pi Pi Bungalows at Koh
Tor. Our palace was a bit different than Mom's. we even had bed bugs which
really made us feel like true backpackers for a minute. Porn (Pronounced Pawn) was
the woman we stayed with on Ko Phi Phi. Here she is with our friend Lyndy. We
are still trying to find out her fate. Lung, our boat driver who
took us aound Ko Phi Phi. We are unsure as to his fate but have a feeling he
and the rest of our family that took care of us at Koh Tor have perished. It's
sad to look at this picture but also such a good memory. On December 19th
we left Koh Phi Phi on a ferry for Koh Lanta. Koh Lanta is to the south of
Krabi and Pi Pi. We checked into the Narima, an eco-bungalow owned by a nice
middle aged Thai couple who met in Colorado 33 years ago. Three years ago they
opened the Narima after they retired from their jobs and Bangkok life. Their
place is fairly hopping though so it's hardly retirement, but they see, to love
it. We are happy to report that The Narima is still standing and wasn't
affected by the Tsunami because of the angle of their beach
(www.narima-lanta.com), The strange thing is that just to the north about a
mile or so Sri Lanta resort was trashed. The beach in front of the Narima was
rocky, so not really good for snorkeling, but there was an infinity pool to
lounge by and just a short walk down the road a beautiful beach called Nui
beach that was empty most of the time and golden sand and clear water. Pristine waters of koh Rok Over the next few days we
cruised around KOh Lantaon
Motorbikes, we took a boat trip to Koh Rok, which I think is one of the most
beautiful places in Thailand. The snorkeling there was amazing. This is a
horrible thing to say....but the life underwater looked exactly like Finding
Nemo! Colors, every kind of fish you can imagine, coral and purple sea
anemones. Every time we went under water it was like watching a crazy LA
freeway suspended, weightless. Fish buzzing one way and then the other. Schools
and solo fish, starfish, Lyndy even claimed to have seen a black tipped reef
shark. Koh Lanta has a very
different look than Koh Pi Pi or Ao Nang. It's a very Muslim Island so many
women ride around on motorbikes with long black burkas covering them or head
scarves on the younger women. Apparently the Island has become more and more
Muslim in the last 3 years. Sounds like America too eh? It's a peaceful place
though with the main industries being tourism and fishing. Tourism has just
come to Koh Lanta in the last 5-6 years and when I spoke to people who were
just there last year they were amazed at how much had been built since they had
last been there. We traveled to the south of Koh Lanta, which took about 45
minutes on a combination of dirt and paved roads. When we arrived at the Narima
we were immediately impressed with the resort. There are 32 bungalows spread
out on maybe an acre or two of land just above the ocean. A rocky beach sits
below the infinity pool. To the south there is a great beachfront restaurant
called The River where you can fill yourself with amazing Thai food for $3.
Further down the road there is a little town and then a fancy $300 a night
hotel called the Pimalia. We went for a quick tour of it and were not
impressed. Not worth the $ at all....air conditioning and few windows to open.
Seemed very sterile and although I am sure some love it, I could never see
staying there. Radha and Anja on Phi Phi
Leh Shanti and Radha on the
scary Elephant trek to bat cave. Elephants were good, cave bad. Dark and filled
with bats and spiders. Big ones! The Narima bungalows
nestled in a natural environment. Unlike many Thai resorts the Narima owners
really worked hard to blend the cabins into the landscape and they did a great
job of it. It was always so quiet and peaceful here. One of the things I got a
kick at was watching people arrive at the Narima. Their road weary bodies would
sink in to a chair at the entrance of the Narima and they would just melt and
feel right at home. It was like staying in the jungle and camping, but upscale.
Shanti, Radha, Lyndy at an
Indain (Indian spelled wrong on their sign) restaurant on Nice Beach. ON December 25 at 6pm I
flew with Lyndy to Bangkok. The next morning Radha, Mom and I went to the
weekend market for a few hours and then headed to Wat ARun to spend some time
with Buddha. The temples in Bangkok are amazing, so elaborate and well cared
for. The Thai's love their Wats like they love their King. We had no idea as we
meandered through the day what was happening in Southern Thailand. At about 3pm
we heard a man on his cell talking about an earthquake in Sri Lanka and how he
was having trouble contacting his sister over there. By 11pm that night the
story began unfolding and we learned that many of the Islands had been hit by
the huge Tsunami. It still didn't sink in though until a day later on the 28th
when we were boarding the plane and the numbers of dead had been going up and
up and up. It was so sad to have such a tragedy after a beautiful trip with the
three of us....The last time I traveled with my mom and sis was 10 years ago...so
it was a treat to spend so much time with them and just enjoy Thailand
together. We were sad for so many reasons as our plane left Bangkok. This is
all I can write for now....will write more soon. Buddha's in Bangkok at Wat
Arun Radha getting her snorkel
on. Go white girl. Motorbike gang in Koh Lanta Mom and Radha checking out
the fancy Sri Lanta. While there a guest reported a rat in their room...which we
are guessing was a country mouse exaggerated. Lyndy made a good point, "People
come to the jungle want to stay in open air bungalows and then squeal when
nature gets in? What's wrong with them?" Radha chilling at the
Narima in the hammock Shanti enjoying a little
drink at a beach bar....literally on the sand, sitting on mats.
Thanks! We are up to $4100 now!!!!! Thanks for your
contributions! Keep passing this site on to others.
LAST MINUTE TSUNAMI FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDREN AND ORPHANS
Every child in the Kamala project has lost someone from a
parent to a family member to a close friend to a neighbor. While the Thai
government will be rebuilding the school in the next year, at the moment the
children need books, note pads, pencils and pens to begin classes again. For
the first month they held classes in the lobby of a resort, but now have
been moved to a small one-room building surrounded by a handful of tents
where over 400 children attend classes daily. The Stuffed Project was
created to help get money to purchase school supplies immediately for the
students.
Through a strange number of circumstances a fairy godfather has offered me a
plane ticket and financial help to get me back to Thailand in mid-March! I
am very excited to take all of the donations you guys have given to the
people I stayed with there. This is amazing, exciting, exceeding my wildest
imagination of what could be possible.
http://www.tsunamihealing.com
http://www.phuketlifestyle.com/Tsunami.htm
Peace, Shanti
http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=4064&display=1
Click to see: Bangkok photos | Ao Nang photos | Koh Phi Phi photos | Koh Lanta photos
That is good news inded about your feinds at Phi Phi. We would be happy to pass
on money to them, as soon as it is safe to go back there. They haven't finished
clearing up yet so I think no-one apart from rescue and clean-up workers are
staying there.
We have found our engine and it is unfixable b/c it got dashed against rocks as
opposed to sinking in the sand. We are trying to scrape together some money for
a new one and to fix and replace the other things that are missing. Any
donation towards that would be greatly appreciated.
There is a family I know in our village who could greatly do with some
assistance. One of the baotmen was killed at Poda Isalnd and he left a wife,
baby and mother all dependent on him. It wasn't even his own boat he was
driving so he was living hand to mouth. I would be pleased to pass on any funds
you can collect to his family too.
At the moment even those with boats are without an income b/c all the tourists
have left. People have made a bit effort to get things cleaned up and back to
normal but there is no business so everyone is very fearful of the future.
Sun's Dad is repairing the hole in the boat today and we can fix that part in
the next few days. Sun was all happy until I reminded him we would have to ROW
the people around! Sun's Dad was asking what we would do now. The answer
isI don't know - try to keep
running the boats and just hope that we have some customers. Things are pretty
grim for the rest of this year I fear.
We have given our boat to our driver until the other one is in service b/c he
has a wife and 2 kids to support. He is finding it hard to get any fares though.
If you had some way to spread the message that the best way to help Thailand is
to come and support the businesses that are still here that would be great. It
is so nice of you to try to get some money through to help, but we just want to
be able to try to make up the loss ourselves.
People here are very skeptical about the amount of money that will trickle down
through aid organizations. The government and anyone with any power here is so
corrupt that the Thai people take it for granted that they will all take a cut
of whatever comes in before it get through to the people in need. It is sad but
most likely true.
With respect to volunteers for building etc, I am sure that all help could be
used especially in local communities like down in Phangar where it is mainly
non-tourist based. It would probably be best to come here and find out who and
how you could help rather than joining with aid organizations because they
would probably have you cleaning beaches in front of posh resorts or
re-building important facilities such a beach side bars for tourists. They
really have their priorities mixed up by some accounts anyway. I'll let you
know if I hear of any projects that sound good. We just got TV reception at
home but they speak so fast it hard to follow the news...
Anyway, I'll keep in touch and thanks again for all your concern and good
wishes.
Elizabeth
While in the Ao Nang area, which is about 45
minutes from the Krabi Airport, we really got into to the flow of the Thailand
scene. Water was 10 BHT (25 cents), street meals were 15-25BHT. The same food
could be had in fancy beachfront restaurants for 150BHT ($4US). scene in
Thailand is very Westernized, but it's still pretty cool. You can never really
blend in if you are a farang (white person), but you are very welcome to enjoy
Thailand. The Thai people are so friendly and at one point my friend Lyndy said
"You always act like someone is going to rip you off. The Thais just aren't
like that." Funny thing is I guess I have spent too many years traveling in
places where people do rip you off...so it's like instant reflex to think there's
some scam happening. Funny thing is I was wrong. The thai people really
appreciate the tourism and want to make your time in their country great so
you'll come back. 
